[2][3] White Nancy was built in 1817 by John Gaskell junior of North End Farm to commemorate the victory at the Battle of Waterloo.

[4] Locals supposedly told 1940s Army signallers working on Kerridge Hill that the landmark was named after the lead horse that had transported all materials for the building of White Nancy.

In 2015, in recognition of the reason for its construction, the structure was painted with a '200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo' motif, and the silhouettes of soldiers in traditional military uniform from the time.

[11] In March 2018 the face of Mark E. Smith of post-punk band the Fall was painted on White Nancy, together with the text “This Nation’s Saving Grace”.

[14] White Nancy has been acclaimed and has featured in countdowns of the best British follies identified by The Telegraph[15][16] and by Alan Titchmarsh.